24 Hours
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: Detective Haruka Tenoh is chasing a serial killer who holds his victims captive for 24 hours before killing them. When he kidnapps her girlfriend Michiru, a race against time starts...Finished. ^_^v
1. The Detective And Her Girlfriend

Author's Note:  My brain is scaring me *lol*  It comes up with the weirdest ideas, like that one.  Hope you like it ^^

Disclaimer:  I do not own Haruka, Michiru or any other mentioned characters from Sailormoon.  They all are property of Naoko Takeuchi . I do own the bad ass of this fic though, so don't steal him ^_~

Dedication:  Dedicated to Ally :-)

24 Hours

Prologue:  The Detective And Her Girlfriend

Haruka sighed and took her reading glasses off, rubbing her eyes with the thumb and the index finger of her right hand.  She shot one last annoyed look at the big file that laid in front of her before she closed it and shoved it away, making it slide over the desk.  "Still no leads?" a soft, melodic voice came from behind.  Haruka sighed again and turned her chair around, looking at her girlfriend shaking her head.  "No.  That guy knows how to hide himself from us…  way too good."  Michiru showed her sympathy by sitting down on the blonde's lap and putting her arms around her neck.  "You'll catch him sooner or later, Haruka."  She then encouraged her lover, who gave her a weak smile.  "Better sooner than later, ne?" the detective replied while putting her arms around Michiru's waist.  The couple shared a short, but loving kiss, and Haruka smiled at her girlfriend once more.  "Don't worry about that sicko so much."  Michiru advised her, adding a wink when she spoke on:  "Let's go to bed now, shall we?"  Haruka grinned and nodded; after another loving kiss, the two women rose from the chair and left the room, closing the door behind them. 

  
The screams of the young girl echoed through the night, remaining unheard by the whole city – except for the one who caused her to scream, kneeling over her, he now raised the butcher hook high in the air, glistening in the moonlight.  Then, the hook came slashing down and the screams abruptly stopped. 

  
"Another victim."  Haruka sighed, raising from her kneeling position and looking at her colleague Ryu while she did.  The young man nodded and bit his lower lip, his stomach turning at the sight of the poor girl.  "Twenty four hours again?"  Haruka asked, earning a nod from Ryu.  "Yes.  She was missing since Monday night."  Haruka nodded, seeming satisfied.  "It was our man then… did the forensic unit arrive yet?"  Ryu nodded again, earning a worried look from Haruka. "You're not feeling well?" she finally asked, for the first time noticing the pale colour of his face.  Ryu shook his head, obviously refusing to open his mouth.  Haruka gave him a slight smile and ordered:  "Go get yourself something to drink… far away from here."  Ryu gave her a thankful look and vanished, glad that he could move away from the horribly mutilated body of the young girl.  Haruka looked down at her once more, let out another sigh and finally left the crime scene, allowing the forensic unit to collect all the vestiges they were able to find.   
  


The middle-aged, brown-haired man put down his binoculars, that he had used to watch the police do their job, grinning slightly.  They wouldn't find any tracks that would lead them to him, but that was not the thing he was interested in anyway.  He put the binoculars up to his eyes again, his gaze focusing on the blonde detective who was conducting the ascertainments.  His grin widened, when he thought about the girlfriend of the young detective while he put his binoculars down again.  "You didn't manage to find me up to now."  The man now whispered, his eyes never leaving Haruka, who, by now, was talking to the shocked woman who had found the murdered girl.  "Let's see if you work faster if it's your girl I have in my hands."  With that, he turned around and walked off, his grin never leaving his face. 


	2. Abduction And Fear

Chapter 1: Abduction And Fear

While Haruka was at the crime scene trying to find anything that would lead her to the killer, Michiru was at their home, working on her new song. From time to time, the aqua haired girl would take a sip from the cup of coffee that stood next to her; when she reached for it again though after almost twenty minutes of working on the song, it wasn't there anymore. Frowning, the aqua haired girl looked up from her sheet of paper – only to find herself staring at a tall man, dressed completely in black, along with a woollen ski mask covering his face. Before the young musician had a chance to scream, he had grabbed her, covering her mouth with one hand while holding her wrists with the other. Michiru struggled against the grip the man had on her, but her fighting stopped when he smashed her head against the wall, nearly knocking her out. The world started to spin around Michiru while she desperately fought to keep consciousness, much to the amusement of her attacker. "Feisty one, aren't you?" he taunted her, throwing her to the ground roughly. Her whole body trembling, the aqua haired girl tried to crawl away from her attacker, leaving a trail of blood behind when her head started to bleed. The man just grinned at her, watching her struggles for a few minutes, until he thought that the blood on the carpet was enough to scare the blonde detective a little. With two quick steps, he stood next to the whimpering woman again, lashing out and kicking the side of her head. Michiru fell to the side unconscious as soon as she had received the blow, even more blood dripping on the blue carpet. The attacker tied her up as fast as he could before he picked her up and carried her out of the house, over to his car. He walked back in for a short moment to drop a small white sheet of paper on the desk, then got back out and into the car and drove off.

Haruka returned home from work six hours after Michiru had been abducted, not expecting a thing. She entered rather gloomy, since nobody had been able to find anything about the killer at the crime scene, and couldn't wait to finally see her girlfriend again. Her shoulders hanging, she entered the house, calling out "Michiru?" while she put her jacket on its hook. When she didn't receive an answer, she slightly frowned and made her way over to Michirus music room, thinking that the aqua haired girl probably sat there with headphones again. Upon opening the door, the first thing she saw were the blood stains on the floor. Her eyes widened, and she hurried over to the bloodied spot in the carpet, kneeling down next to it. After touching it, she realized that it already had dried, this telling her that it had been spilled some hours ago. "No." the blonde whispered, her eyes filling with fear. She came back up to full length again, looking around the room frantically. Her eyes fell on a piece of paper that laid on Michirus desk, and she hurried over to pick it up and read it. As soon as she was done, the note fell out of her suddenly numb hands, and she sank to her knees as if all her strength had left her. "No." the blonde whispered, her eyes glued to the innocent looking sheet of paper while she shook her head. "No. No. _No." Her hands started to shake uncontrollably while her fingers dug into the carpet. She shook her head in denial, her eyes filling with tears, before she finally started to scream the same words all over again. "No! Michiru! _No_!" The tears started to run down her cheeks freely, and she pounded the floor with her fists, denying what had happened. "This can't be true…no…not her…why did you take her, bastard?" she suddenly yelled out into the empty room, though she knew that no one could hear her. Her eyes fell on the note once more, and upon reading the words her blood froze again. "Guess who…24 hours."_


	3. Personally Involved

Chapter 2: Personally Involved

The heads of five policemen shot up at the sound of a certain blonde storming into the office, directly into the police director's office. Before any of her colleagues could warn her that the boss was having a meeting with an important politician, Haruka had burst in, causing the two men to look at her in surprise. "Tenoh-san." The police director, an elderly man named Takeshi, then spoke, concern in his voice. It was obvious that Haruka was very upset about something; her hands were shaking, and her eyes were filled with a mixture of sheer terror and fear. "He has her." The blonde now softly spoke, staring at Takeshi and completely ignoring the politician who still sat there. "Who was whom?" Takeshi asked, completely oblivious to what the blonde was talking about. "The 24 hours killer. He has my girlfriend." Were the last words Haruka managed to stammer out before her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and she collapsed, hitting the office floor with a soft thud. 

Michiru slowly came back to consciousness, not remembering what had happened to her in the first few seconds. Then, it all came back to her: the attacker, the fight and finally the kick that had knocked her out…the aqua haired girl stifled a groan, some rules Haruka had told her a few years ago suddenly coming back to her brain. _"It would be a lot easier for us to find kidnappers if the kidnapped people would be a little more attentive to their surroundings." "Don't let him know that you woke up." Michiru told herself, thus not opening her eyes. She concentrated on the noises around her, as well as on the mellow shaking she could feel. That and the fact that she could hear a droning noise showed her that she still was in the car of her kidnapper; she didn't know how long she had been unconscious, and that bugged her. Thanks to the fact that she had been out for an unknown span of time, she didn't know how long she was in the car by now. "I know that you are awake." A deep, male voice suddenly came from the driver's seat, causing the aqua haired girl to flinch. The man who had kidnapped her turned around to look at her, stopping his car while he did, grinning. "I knew from the first second you woke up. You didn't open your eyes or moan, but your breathing changed." Michiru looked at her kidnapper in fear, not too sure about what she should expect next. The dark haired man now grinned, a strange glint suddenly filling his eyes. "Don't worry, Michiru…you won't have to cope with me for too long." He looked at the clock that was mounted in the armature board of the car, and his grin widened. "Only seventeen hours and thirty minutes." That was when Michiru realized __who had kidnapped her, and suddenly she found herself unable to breath. It was as if somebody had put a glowing ring around her chest, tightening it with every second that passed. She knew that the ring was also called panic, and that she had to fight it to think up a way to escape, but the knowledge didn't help. The aqua haired girl broke down sobbing, while the kidnapper started the car again and continued to drive, ignoring the desperate whimpers and pleads of his prisoner. _

"Here, drink that." Takeshi spoke, sitting the glass of whiskey down on the desk. Haruka looked at him for a second before she looked at the glass and shook her head. "You know that I don't drink." She flatly spoke, her voice not showing any emotions. "I don't want you to gulp it down and get drunk, I want you to drink it up and calm down." Takeshi replied, taking a seat behind his desk again. He sighed and looked at Haruka, not liking what he had to tell her next. "Haruka…you know that we do everything we can to find the killer and Michiru before it's too late." Haruka nodded, still staring down at her hands. Her eyes came up though when she heard what Takeshi said next. "But…I have to take you off the case." Suddenly, life returned to the formerly dull eyes of the blonde, paired with anger. "What do you mean, you have to take me off the case?" "You are personally involved now, Haruka." Takeshi gently spoke, trying to calm the detective down again. "The fact that he has your girlfriend is compromising your judgement." "The fact that he has my girlfriend", Haruka replied, pressing every single word out between clenched teeth, "is pushing me more than anything else to find that bastard and shoot his fucking head away." Takeshi gaped at the rude language of his normally calm and composed detective, not knowing how to comment on this statement. "Please don't take me off the case." Haruka now spoke, her voice soft all of a sudden. "I need to find him personally. He knew that she was my girlfriend, and he knew that it was me who was responsible for his case…please let me do it." Finally, Takeshi let out a sigh. "Good. It is against every single paragraph concerning police work I know, and if anyone finds out, we both will lose our jobs, but fine. Find him and make sure that he never kills again." Haruka nodded and softly spoke "Thank you." before she stood up and left the office. Takeshi looked after her, then let out a sigh and returned to doing his work, wondering if he had made the right decision. 


	4. First Small Leads

Chapter 3: First Small Leads

After almost thirty more minutes of driving, the man stopped the car and turned to look at Michiru once more. The aqua haired girl sat huddled on the backseat, shaking with fear and avoiding her capturers eyes. "We're here." The killer informed her, his voice cold and without any emotion. Finally, Michiru looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Please." She whispered, her voice unsteady with fear, "please…let me go." The man just kept looking at her, an insane glint suddenly filling his eyes. He shook his head and started to grin. "No. I can't let you go. No. No. He tells me not to. I need to get revenge on her…no. I can't let you go." Michirus eyes widened on what he said, and slowly, she asked: "Who…who tells you to?" The man's grin widened, and he answered her question: "My son. He died. She killed him, you know. They said that she had to. But they lied. She killed him because she hated me. And because she wanted to hurt me. They said that she had to. They lied. They did. They still lie. They say that I'm insane. Newspapers write that I'm insane. I'm not. Nothing happened to her. She killed him, and nothing happened to her. They even were proud of her. Gave her extra money for killing him. _They_ are insane. Not me. _Not me." A cold shiver ran down Michirus spine while the killer spoke, his voice clearly showing how insane he really was. Still, she needed to ask one more question…although she already knew what the answer would be. "Who killed your son?" The man's eyes filled with hate, and his voice shook with rage when he answered. "Your girlfriend. Tenoh."_

 "What do we have?" Haruka asked, staring at the director of the forensic unit impatiently. The middle-aged man sighed and shrugged. "Not much, Haruka. The normal stuff…hair, some tiny fabrics…no fingerprints, as always…oh, but wait. Something is new…we found a small amount of earth and some leaves close to the victim. Could be from a park or a forest." Haruka bent down to look at the computer screen the grey haired man worked on, frowning. "Do you think that he lives in the forest?" the blonde finally asked, her gaze falling back on the director. Who just shrugged in return and replied: "I have no clue. It's your job to find that out. We just find the leads." Haruka sighed and ran one hand through her hair. "Yeah, yeah, I know that…thanks anyway." She said her goodbye to the guy and left, walking down the hallways of the police station deep in thought. _It would make sense if he lived in the forest._ The young detective mused, staring at her feet as she walked. _His victims could scream as much as they want there, no one would hear them…but why do we find them all in the city then? Does he take them there to kill them? Or does he kill them in the forest, and take them into the city when they are dead? No, too much blood at the crime sights for that to be realistic…except maybe if he…_Suddenly, Harukas head shot up, and her eyes widened. "Except maybe if he keeps the blood in some kind of bin and empties it over the victim in the city." The blonde whispered, earning strange looks from two passing police men. Before any of them had a chance to ask her what was wrong, the blonde had spun around and ran down the hallway, desperate to reach the chemical department of the police as fast as possible. 

"Please repeat that." The chemist, a young brunette woman named Fujiko, spoke, staring at Haruka with a deep frown. "I want you to find out if the blood we found at the crime scenes of the 24 hours killer was spilled before they were put there." Haruka repeated, leaning against the desk of the young chemist while she spoke. "The forensic unit found some earth and a few leaves at the last crime scene, and that brought us to the thought if maybe the killer lives in the forest…but since we always find the victims in the city, I was wondering if maybe he kills them in his home, keeps the blood in a bin or something and empties it over them after he put them down in the city." "It's almost impossible to find that out." Fujiko informed Haruka, who groaned and covered her eyes. Her hand came down again though when the young chemist softly chuckled. "Hey, no need to get desperate. I said almost. Give me one hour and we know." Haruka checked her watch – seventeen hours left – and nodded. "Okay. See you in an hour." With that, she left the chemistry lab, while Fujiko started to work on the analysis. 

Michiru stumbled and fell to the ground hard as her kidnapper pushed her into the small room, letting out a small whimper at the impact. Slowly, she sat up, looking at her surroundings. The man had taken her into a small hut in the forest that was located in the outskirts of Tokyo (A/N: Ok, ok, maybe there isn't a forest like that in reality. But I need one, so there ^_~), and now simply commanded her to sit still in the corner while he tied her ankles together to keep her from running off. Upon looking around, the aqua haired girl saw that the walls of the hut were covered with photos, showing the man who had kidnapped her, and another guy, a lot younger than her kidnapper, but awfully resembling his looks. Obviously his son, whom Haruka had killed…if Michiru wanted to believe what the killer told her. Then, her eyes fell on a cut-out of the Tokyo News, the headline nearly jumping into her eyes. _"Police Detective Haruka Tenoh kills bank robber Hiroshi Nagana and rescues the five hostages!" _Michirus eyes widened when she realized what that meant. Haruka indeed had killed her kidnapper's son…and now he was out for revenge. And if Haruka wouldn't be able to find her fast enough, he would get it. 


	5. Discoveries

Author's Warning: There's a bit of disturbed, very R rated content in this chapter. Please read with caution. 

Chapter 4: Discoveries

„Did you find something out?" Haruka asked exactly one hour later, entering the chemistry department with an impatient look on her face. Fujiko looked up at the tall blonde and nodded. "In fact, Haruka, yes. You were right. We found tiny tracks of copper in the blood of the last victim…which means that he probably transported the blood into the city with a bin made of copper." Haruka nodded, slightly satisfied that she had been on the right track. "So now we know that he doesn't kill them in the city, but somewhere else…and that he probably lives in the forest. Now we just have to find out where." Fujiko nodded, smiling up at the detective. "That's your job, Haruka." She then informed me. Haruka grinned back and nodded, before saying her goodbye and leaving the chemistry department again. 

Michiru sat in the corner of the kidnappers hut, staring down at her feet, while the man himself sat at the couch, just staring off into nothingness. He snapped out of his trance when Michiru softly spoke up: "Could…could I get something to drink?" The kidnapper sighed, then stood up. He walked over to the door of the hut, locked it and placed the key in his pocket, before he moved over to Michiru and untied her wrists. "Get yourself something from the fridge." He then ordered. Michiru nodded and slowly stood up, walking over to the small fridge that stood in the far corner of the small room. She opened it, and when her eyes fell on what was inside, she started to scream. Staring back at her with dead eyes, kept in a glass filled with formaldehyde, was the head of her kidnapper's son. 

Haruka sat in front of her computer, tapping the desk with her fingers impatiently while she waited for the search to finish. After a short talk with director Takeshi, she had gotten the allowance to search for people who had a house or hut in the forest in the police' database, and now the blonde waited for the results. Finally, the computer produced a small beeping noise, showing that the search was finished. Upon looking at the result, Harukas eyes nearly doubled in size; there were almost one hundred people who owned a place to live in the forest. "Oh no!" the blonde called out, frustrated. "How am I supposed to check all of them in time?!" She ran one hand through her blonde hair, letting out a desperate sigh. If she would check all of the people the list, she never would find Michiru in time…suddenly, an idea hit her, and she started a new search, this time searching only for men who were single and older than thirty. This decreased the number of people on the list extremely, and in the end, only five names were left. Grinning, Haruka wrote them down and started to get info about them.

"Stop screaming!" the kidnapper yelled, grabbing Michiru around the waist from behind and covering her mouth with one hand. The aqua haired girl started to struggle against her captors grip, her screams muffled by his palm while he roughly pulled her away from the fridge. He violently threw her away from him, causing her to hit the floor with a hard thud. With two fast steps, the man had taken the rope he had tied her up with before and grabbed her wrists, ignoring her struggles and sobs. He quickly tied Michirus hands behind her back, then grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, forcing her to look at him. "And now shut up." He spoke, glaring at her with hate-filled eyes. "You could upset him." Michirus eyes widened at that, and she tried to scramble backwards to get away from him. Her avoids stopped though when the killer suddenly lashed out and punched her face, the force of the blow making her fall on her back once more. She could feel how her lip burst open and started to bleed, but the man simply ignored that and gave her another glare. "Shut up. Now. Or he'll get mad at me and scream at me again. So shut up." He ordered before he walked back to his couch and sat down, staring on the wall ahead of him again. Michiru slowly sat back up, trying to ignore the immense pain that raged through her head after the punch. "It's the only thing I have left of him." The kidnapper suddenly spoke, looking at the aqua haired girl with a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes. "She took him from me. That bitch. Took him away from me. We just needed the money. No reason to kill him. He robbed the bank for me. He loved me. I loved him…and she killed him. She loves you, doesn't she? I'll kill you. Justice. That's the justice I need." "Please don't do this." Michiru whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Soon, she was sobbing heavily, continually whimpering the same thing over and over: "Please…don't kill me, please…let me go…" The killer shook his head, a demonic grin appearing on his face. "No. You will die…she will pay. She will feel the pain I felt." _"It's not her fault!" _Michiru suddenly screamed, before she broke down crying. The killer just looked at her expressionless, then returned his gaze to the wall, ignoring his prisoner.

Haruka stared at one of the names on her list, trying to figure out why he seemed so familiar to her. _"Goro Nagana…" the blonde thought to herself, mindlessly playing with her pencil while she thought. Then, realization hit her. She did know the name of this man; it was the father of the bank robber she had killed seven months ago. _"And two weeks after I killed him, the serial killer showed up." _Her eyes widened when she realized who hot the lead was she had just discovered. And another flash of memory came up in her brain; it were a few words that the father of the killed bank robber had said to her before he had left. "I'll make you pay. Believe me, I'll make you pay."_


	6. Into The Woods

Chapter 5: Into The Woods

„I swear, that has to be him!" Haruka spoke, staring at Takeshi with such intense that the police director almost started to squirm. "Haruka, that's not enough proof! Yes, he lives in the forest, and yes, he said that he would make you pay, but how often have you heard that during your career and nothing happened? Besides, if he wanted to make you pay, why should he kill off a dozen other girls before he gets Michiru?" "I don't know!" Haruka shot back, her frustration getting the better of her. "But I have this certain feeling that he is our man!" Takeshi sighed and gave the blonde an apologetic look. "Even if he is, Haruka…as long as you didn't find more proof, I can't allow you to imprison him." Suddenly, a mischief glint filled his eyes, and he winked at the blonde. "Although, if you drove over to his place in private and not while you're at work…it should be okay." Haruka gave him a thankful look. "Thanks, Takeshi…well, I would like to have the day off then." Takeshi nodded and leaned back in his seat. "Get the day off, Haruka…but if you find something out, or need backup, don't be afraid to ask." Haruka gave him another thankful look before she nodded and left the office.

"12 hours left." The kidnapper informed Michiru, who sat in the corner of the hut again, staring down at her feet. At the voice of the man, her eyes came up, and she softly spoke: "Haruka will find me in time." Her captor just laughed, sounding more insane than ever, and shook his head. "Your trust in her is huge. Let's see how huge it is when the time if over and I kill you." "That won't happen." Michiru replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "She will find me, I know that." The kidnapper laughed again, with high, hysterical laughter. "Never." He then spoke, staring at his prisoner with sparkling eyes. "She'll never find me. All she is good at is to kill innocent young men. She won't find me." After that, he broke into laughter again, while Michiru leaned her head against the wall, her eyes squeezed shut, and started to pray for Haruka to find her fast. 

Haruka drove her car down the street that led her out of town and into the woods; her gun was tucked safely into it's holster, her cell phone laid on the passenger's seat. The blonde had to fight the urge to press the gas pedal down as far as possible; it was hard to stay within the tempo limit, but somehow, she managed to, even though she wanted nothing more than to reach the forest fast. She looked at her map again, her eyes glued to the blue cross she had marked the exact location of Goro Nagana's hut. Finally, the blonde reached the small path that lead deeper into the woods; she stopped her car and turned the motor off, since she didn't want to alarm the killer with the noise of her car approaching. Quickly, she grabbed the map and got out of the car – not noticing that her cell phone still laid on the passenger's seat. 

One and a half hours later, Haruka finally had reached the marked position. She stayed hidden in the bushes and looked over at the small hut, her eyes falling on the black van that stood in front of it. _"That means that he is here." The blonde thought to herself, a satisfied grin raising the corners of her mouth. If she had been right, Michiru was here too, and soon, she would be able to hold her in her arms again. Carefully, Haruka drew her gun and started to sneak over to the back of the hut, with the intention to peek in through one of the windows. She reached one of them without any interruptions and looked into it, the first thing she saw being Michiru – all tied up and helpless. Then, her eyes fell on the brown haired man that sat on the couch, and her heartbeat increased. She had found him at last. _

Goro's head shot up at the sound of somebody knocking the front door, as well as Michirus eyes came up. Her heart performed an excited leap when she heard the voice of her lover speaking: "This is the police speaking! Open the door now!" Goro looked at her with sheer surprise plastered over his face, then he slowly started to grin. He walked over to the wall where his trusty murder weapon, the sharp butcher hook hung, and took it off. Slowly, he walked over to the door and rose the hook high above his head. Seconds before he opened it, Michiru suddenly shouted: "Haruka, _watch out!"_

Haruka heard her lover scream her name and that she should watch out, then the door swung open. Only moments after it had, the all too known butcher hook came sliding down towards her. Much to her luck, she had been warned; thus she was able to drop to the ground and roll off in time, the hook only cutting air instead of her throat. While Haruka still came to her feet though, Goro had hurried back into the hut and grabbed Michiru, holding her in front of him, the sharp tip of the hook pressing against her throat. Haruka finally got back to standing upright – and froze at the sight. Goro gave her an insane grin and softly spoke: "Welcome to my home, Tenoh.", the deadly hook glistening in the sunlight. 


	7. Wanting Revenge

Chapter 6: Wanting Revenge

„Let her go." Haruka spoke, trying to keep her fear out of her voice. Goro just grinned at her and shook his head. "No. She's going to die. You will see her die…like I had to see my son die, thanks to _you_!" "Haruka…" Michiru whispered, her eyes filling with tears when the kidnapper pressed the tip of the hook harder against her throat, nearly breaking the skin. The aqua haired girl whimpered at the feeling, and that was all Haruka could take. With one swift motion, she had drawn her gun, pointing it at the killers head. "Let her go. Now." She ordered, glad that her voice was steady at last. Goro looked at the gun for a few seconds, then he slowly started to lower his hook. Haruka was just about to let out a small sigh of relief when the killer suddenly pushed Michiru aside roughly and threw himself forward, towards her. 

Before Haruka had time to react, the butcher hook crashed against her forearm, slicing a deep cut into it. The blonde yelped in pain and dropped her gun at the unexpected impact, causing it to hit the soft ground. Haruka felt how Goro grabbed her across the waist as if he wanted to hug her, and then, the sharp end of the butcher hook dug into her stomach. Michiru screamed in sheer terror when she saw what the killer did to her beloved, but at the same time couldn't help her, since she still was tied up. Desperately, the aqua haired girl started to struggle, trying to free herself of her bonds, while Goro smiled at Haruka, his eyes glinting with joy. "Your body will become numb now." He whispered into the detective's ear, tightening his grip around her waist to steady her while he slowly started to move the hook to the right, cutting the blondes stomach open. "That's caused by the shock, so don't worry." Haruka choked when the hook continued it's fatal way through her body, blood running from the wound and the corners of her mouth. Far, far away she could hear Michiru cry out her name several times, but it didn't seem to matter much anymore. The pain that was overwhelming her, colouring her world red, was all that mattered. Goro grinned at the blonde one last time, finally making the butcher hook stop. With one violent motion, he jerked it out of the blondes stomach, blood splashing from the wound and onto his hands. "There." He whispered, grinning. "I made you pay. My son will be pleased." With that, he let go off Haruka, and while she still was falling to the ground, he turned around and started to leave, not bothering to waste a single look at Michiru. 

"Haruka! _Haruka!"__ Michiru screamed, still struggling against the ropes that held her wrists, with not much avail though. Haruka was on her knees, one arm over her stomach, panting heavily, her blood dripping to the ground and colouring the grass red. Slowly, the blonde raised her head, her eyes meeting those of her lover. "Michiru…" Haruka whispered, the flow of blood from her mouth increasing while she did. Collecting all the strength she had in herself after that brutal attack, Haruka started to move towards Michiru, leaving a trail of blood drops behind. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the blonde reached her tied-up lover and started to work on the knot that held the aqua haired girls wrists. As soon as she had managed to free her girlfriend, Haruka let out a pain-filled groan and nearly fell face first to the ground; luckily, Michiru  managed to catch her in time and pulled her into a loving embrace. "Don't leave me." The young woman sobbed, her tears falling on Harukas blood-stained shirt. "Call…an ambulance." Haruka whispered, her breathing turned to heavy panting by now. "My cell phone…in the car…" "I can't go there and leave you behind alone!" Michiru replied, crying heavily by now. Harukas only response was another pain-filled groan. Slowly, and as gently as possible, Michiru laid the blonde on her back, before she hurried into the hut she had been held captive in. She didn't remember seeing a phone while she was there, but maybe she just had overseen it, or it was hidden somewhere…desperately, Michiru started to search through the cupboards and shelves, in hope to find the desired object soon. Finally, upon opening the last cupboard in the small room, she was lucky: a black cell phone laid in one of drawers. Quickly, the aqua haired girl took it into her shaking hands and dialled 911, informing the person on the other end of the line what had happened and where Haruka and she were. Then, she hung up and ran back out to her lover, who laid in the grass unconscious by now. _

"Will she be okay?" Michiru softly asked, looking up at Takeshi with hope and fear in her eyes. Takeshi sighed and shrugged before he returned his gaze to the big glass window that allowed visitors to watch the room Haruka laid in. "The doctor said that chances are good…if she awakes from the coma."  Michiru covered her mouth with one hand and let out a small sob, turning away from the window. She didn't want to see her lover like this anymore; hooked up to so many machines that it was hard to tell where they ended and Haruka began, and so badly hurt… "Make him pay." The aqua haired girl whispered, looking at the police director once more. "Make him pay for what he did to her…" Takeshi nodded, a grim look suddenly in his eyes. "We will, Michiru. Believe me, we will." 


	8. New Plans

Chapter 7: New Plans

Michiru sat next to Harukas bed, looking at the lifeless blonde detective with tears in her eyes. It had been five days since the killer had attacked Haruka, and the blonde hadn't awoken from the coma the doctors had had to put her in yet. Michiru knew that, if Haruka didn't wake up within the next two weeks, her chances of surviving would become smaller with every day that passed, and that fact scared her so much that she was close to losing her mind. Somehow she had managed to stay sane during her imprisonment in Goro's home, even though the serial killer kept a head in his fridge and had kept talking to her in his insane ways; but now, now that she was free, seeing Haruka like that nearly made her lose her mind. She always had been aware of the dangers Harukas profession brought; the fact that Haruka always had managed to get out of all cases alive had made her forget the ever-present danger, and now she was reminded of it, with the force of a sledgehammer. "Please, Haruka…" the aqua haired girl whispered, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. "Please…you can't leave me, not now…you have got to come back to me, please!" Sobbing, Michiru took Harukas hand into hers, holding it while she hoped and prayed for Haruka to wake up. 

Goro Nagana sat in the small hotel room he had rented a few days ago, staring out of the window while he held his head with one hand. _You failed! She's still alive! _The voice of his son screamed inside his brain, making him cry out it pain. "I'm sorry!" the killer then whimpered, clutching his head with both hands now. "I'm sorry, stop yelling at me!" _You failed. Tenoh still lives! You didn't avenge my death! _"I will! I will kill her, I promise!" Goro yelled out, the pain in his head nearly making him go even more insane then he already was. "I didn't expect her to survive! I slit her stomach open, she should have died instantly!" _Seems like you didn't cut deep enough.__ "She's in a coma! It's not even sure that she will survive!" __Knowing her, she probably will. She's a tough one, you know. Silently, Goro started to sob, burying his face in his hands. The voice of his son grew more threatening when he continued to "speak". _Either you kill her soon, Dad…or you never will find peace again. Be sure about that. __

Michiru came back from the cafeteria the hospital owned, feeling awfully sick even though she only had eaten a sandwich. Actually, the aqua haired girl hadn't been hungry at all; one of the nurses had literally forced her to get something to eat while the doctor checked up on Harukas condition, and so, Michiru had obeyed – not all too happy about it. Now, she re-entered the room Haruka laid in, her eyes glued to the bed that stood in the middle of it. Harukas breathing was calm and steady, as well as her heartbeat that was monitored by one of the machines, much to Michirus relief. Slowly, the aqua haired girl sat down next to the bed, taking Harukas hand into hers again. "You'll be okay." The aqua haired girl whispered, gently stroking a stubborn strand of blonde hair out of Harukas face. Her hand travelled down the blondes face, caressing it, and finally came to a stop on Harukas right cheek. "You'll be okay, Haruka…" Michiru repeated once more, her eyes filling with tears again. And that was when Haruka opened her eyes. 

_I have made up new plans for us, Dad. Goros eyes shot open at the sound of his son speaking to him again, seeing nothing in the dark room. "You have?" he whispered, not daring to speak much louder since he feared that the people who had rented the room next to him might hear and think that he was nuts. __Yes. I want you to get into the hospital and kidnap Tenoh, Dad. And, if possible, also her girlfriend. "But how?" Goro cried out, suddenly not worrying about the neighbours anymore. "There are policemen guarding the door to Tenoh's room…" _Find a way to get rid of them then. Or find a way to get in without them even noticing. _His son replied, getting angry again. "And if I just kill her when she gets out of the hospital? Or what if she dies anyway?" Goro replied, hope filling his voice. __NO! his son yelled at him, causing him to flinch and clutch his head in pain again. __You have to get revenge. The voice of his son now continued, to Goro's relief much calmer now. _If you don't make sure that you kill her herself, it won't be the same. _Finally, the serial killer agreed and nodded. "Okay, my son…I will see what I can do." He promised. _Great.___ I knew that I can count on you, father. His son replied, and Goro could literally see the smile on his sons face while he heard him talk. _


	9. Welcome Home

Chapter 8: Welcome Home 

„Haruka…my God, finally, you woke up…" Michiru stammered, staring at her lover, her eyes filled with happiness, relief, warmth and love. Haruka gave her a weak smile before she whispered: "Bad weeds grow tall." Michiru laughed and sobbed the same time, a sound that was pretty unique, and gave Harukas hand a gentle squeeze. "How do you feel, love?" she then asked, tears of happiness streaming down her face while she spoke. "As if some maniac…sliced me open." Haruka replied before closing her eyes and letting out a soft groan. "Are you in pain?" Michiru immediately asked. "Do you want me to get the doctor?" Haruka shook her head and opened her eyes again, looking at her girlfriend. "No, not  necessary…I'm fine." "And you will be much better soon." Michiru replied, not being able to stop smiling while she spoke. "The doctor said that you will be okay in no time as soon as you awake from the coma…and now that that happened…" The aqua haired girl sobbed again, squeezing Harukas hand once more. "I thought that I would lose you…" she then whispered, the relief she felt finally breaking through. "I was so scared, Haruka…" "Shht." Haruka whispered, her thumb gently stroking the back of Michirus hand. "It's okay, Michiru…I'll be okay. You don't have to worry anymore." Michiru nodded and let go of Harukas hand for a moment, only to dig out a handkerchief and blow her nose loudly. "I need to get the doctor, he has to check on you." She then softly spoke before bending over the bed and gently kissing Haruka. "I'll be right back, Love." Haruka nodded and smiled, and Michiru hurried out of the room. That was when the machine that monitored Harukas heartbeat decided to have some kind of short circuit and showed a flat line, accompanied with a long drawn-out beep. "Funny." Haruka thought to herself, slowly closing her eyes. "Now that I wake up, the machine decides to tell that I died. Who cares…" Knowing that the doctor would show up soon anyway and check the machine, Haruka didn't really mind the beeping noise; she simply ignored it and dozed off. 

Goro watched how the aqua haired girl he had held captive left the room of the blonde detective, shared a few words with the police officer who guarded the door and then hurried down the hallway. He smiled, knowing that this was the best opportunity he could get. Holding the butcher hook close to his leg, he sneaked over to the officer, approaching him from behind. Before the man knew what was happening, Goro had grabbed him from behind and cut his throat open. The man sank to the ground with a soft gurgling noise, blood splashing out of the wound and wetting the floor. Goro smiled when the man sank to the ground dead and opened the door; he entered the room quickly and closed the door behind him again, hoping that he would have enough time to finish what he had started a week ago.

_No. No, this can't be. Goro's thoughts ran wild while he stared at the  heart monitoring machine in shock. The flat line and the long beep clearly showed that Tenoh was dead; but why had her girlfriend left the room then just a few minutes ago? _Because she wants to get the doctor and make him do some miracle so she comes back to life, dumbass. _The voice of the killer's son came, making him jump. _You failed me, father! You failed me! You didn't kill her! _"I did!" Goro protested, not noticing how Haruka started to stir in her bed. "She died because of the wound I inflected to her!" Before his son had the chance to reply, a weak voice came from the bed, scaring the living daylights out of Goro. "Huh…?" Haruka mumbled, sleepily opening her eyes. Goro stared at her for a few seconds, then his eyes fell on the monitor – which still showed that the blonde was dead – and suddenly he let out an ear-shattering scream, the hook sliding out of his numb fingers and falling to the floor with a clattering sound. (A/N: Thanks nyxity for giving me that idea! ^_^) Haruka stared at the killer, her heartbeat increasing when she realized who this strange screaming man in her room was. She reached out and pressed the buzzer button that alarmed the nurses, hoping that they would come here before Goro realized that she wasn't a living dead, but that the machine simply had some error. Before the nurses reached the room though, the door flew open, revealing Michiru and Harukas doctor standing there. Michirus eyes widened at the sight of the man who had held her captive for so long, but she reacted surprisingly quick. With one fast step, the aqua haired girl had entered the room and grabbed the vase that stood on the small desk next to Harukas bed, and before anyone else had time to realize what the aqua haired girls intention was, she lashed out and smashed the vase on Goro's head, causing it to shatter and water to splash everywhere. Goro's scream stopped as quick as if somebody had cut his vocal chords; his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the floor in a limp heap. Haruka let out a relieved sigh when she saw the man who nearly had killed her break down, at the same time thanking the heart monitor for having this little circuit. After all, it had been the fact that Goro had thought that she was dead that had saved her life._

"Let me out of here!" Goro screamed, jumping against the rubber-foam walls of his cells in anger. "I don't belong here! I'm not insane!" As always, he didn't receive an answer; no one of the employees in the mental asylum really talked to him, all they did was giving him strange answers that had nothing to do with the things he had said. Finally, the mad man got tired of jumping against the walls and let himself fall to the rubber-foam ground, staring down at his feet. _Welcome home, father. The voice of his son spoke in his head, sounding disappointed and jeering at the same time. __Welcome home. _


	10. Peaceful Times

Epilogue: Peaceful Times

„Wake up, love." Haruka whispered into her girlfriends ear, earning a small groan and a sleepy blink in return. "What is it?" Michiru mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "You fell asleep in the sun. I thought that I better wake you up before you get sunburn." Haruka replied, smiling. Michiru smiled back and sat up on the sunlounger she had been lying on, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks." She then spoke, leaning against Haruka who sat down next to her. The blonde gently put an arm around her lover before she looked out on the ocean, deep in thought. It had been four weeks since Goro had been locked up in the mental asylum; three weeks after that, Haruka had been allowed to leave the hospital. As soon as she had gotten out, Michiru and she had packed their suitcases and had driven to the beach bungalow they owned in the outskirts of Tokyo, where the planned on staying for two weeks. "I love it here." The aqua haired girl now spoke, interrupting Harukas trail of thought. "I love you." The blonde replied, smiling down at the smaller woman, her eyes filled with warmth. Michiru smiled back up at her partner before the couple shared a loving kiss. "What would you like for dinner tonight?" Michiru then asked, snuggling up to her girlfriend. "I don't care…but I know what I want for dessert." Michiru giggled and lightly slapped her lover on the arm, all in good fun of course. "Haruka!" "What?" the blonde defended herself. "Who said that I have something ecchi in mind! I meant that I want cherry cake for dessert!" Michiru giggled again and shook her head. "You're impossible." The aqua haired girl then scolded, earning a mischief grin and a shrug from Haruka. "I can't help it, I was born that way." The blonde then replied, winking at her lover. "Yeah, you were born as a Hentai." Michiru shot back, causing Haruka to say and melodramatically roll her eyes. "That is so not true. It was you who made me a Hentai. I was all innocent and angelic, but then I met you." "As if!" Michiru cried out, pretending to be shocked. "It's all the other way round! _You made __me a hentai!" Haruka just laughed and kissed her girlfriend again, pulling her close while she did. Michiru wrapped her arms around Harukas neck, deepening the kiss. Finally the two women parted again, and Michiru let out a surprised squeal when Haruka suddenly scooped her up on her arms, grinning. Quickly, the blonde carried her lover into the house and over to the bedroom, kicking the door close behind her. _

The End!


End file.
